The deal is finally done; James Harden has been traded to the Brooklyn Nets in a massive four-team deal that shifts the landscape of the NBA. Let’s grade.
Finally, the deed is done. James Harden got the trade that he so desperately wanted, and the Brooklyn Nets got their man. By the time the dust cleared, the deal expanded to include four teams, seven players, four first-round picks, four first-round pick swaps and a second-round pick.
Those teams are the Brooklyn Nets, the Houston Rockets, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers, and this is what the trade looked like (the Nets obviously got Harden, but this short-code is limited to three teams):
All four teams had differing interests and agendas in the deal, and the massive expanse of involved players and organizations just goes to show the value a player like James Harden can bring to the table.
After trading Russell Westbrook in the offseason, the Houston Rockets get the chance at a fresh start, adding Victor Oladipo to their backcourt alongside John Wall, and they will have a massive war chest of draft capital that they couldn’t have imagined when the season ended just a few months ago.
It’s not every year you get to hit the reset button, especially when you begin the proceedings with Westbrook and Harden on your roster. The Rockets managed to do it, and whether it works for them or not remains to be seen, but the very heft of the deal required is remarkable.
Without further ado, let’s get started on grading this trade. We’ll begin from the perspective of the biggest winners (or are they?), the Brooklyn Nets.